Commission-Booklet-201002.Pdf

LINC Commission Meeting February 22, 2010

Celebrate Black History Month Learn more about these famous Kansas Citians at www.kclinc.org/blackhistory LINC Local Investment Commission

3100 Broadway, Suite 1100 - Kansas City, MO 64111 - (816) 889-5050 - www.kclinc.org Local Investment Commission (LINC) Vision

Our Shared Vision A caring community that builds on its strengths to provide meaningful opportunities for children, families and individuals to achieve self-sufficiency, attain their highest potential, and contribute to the public good. Our Mission To provide leadership and influence to engage the Kansas City Community in creating the best service delivery system to support and strengthen children, families and individuals, holding that system accountable, and changing public attitudes towards the system. Our Guiding Principles 1. COMPREHENSIVENESS: Provide ready access to a full array of effective services. 2. PREVENTION: Emphasize “front-end” services that enhance development and prevent problems, rather than “back-end” crisis intervention. 3. OUTCOMES: Measure system performance by improved outcomes for children and families, not simply by the number and kind of services delivered. 4. INTENSITY: Offering services to the needed degree and in the appropriate time. 5. PARTICIPANT INVOLVEMENT: Use the needs, concerns, and opinions of individuals who use the service delivery system to drive improvements in the operation of the system. 6. NEIGHBORHOODS: Decentralize services to the places where people live, wherever appropriate, and utilize services to strengthen neighborhood capacity. 7. FLEXIBILITY AND RESPONSIVENESS: Create a delivery system, including programs and reimbursement mechanisms, that are sufficiently flexible and adaptable to respond to the full spectrum of child, family and individual needs. 8. COLLABORATION: Connect public, private and community resources to create an integrated service delivery system. 9. STRONG FAMILIES: Work to strengthen families, especially the capacity of parents to support and nurture the development of their children. 10. RESPECT AND DIGNITY: Treat families, and the staff who work with them, in a respectful and dignified manner. 11. INTERDEPENDENCE/MUTUAL RESPONSIBILITY: Balance the need for individuals to be accountable and responsible with the obligation of community to enhance the welfare of all citizens. 12. CULTURAL COMPETENCY: Demonstrate the belief that diversity in the historical, cultural, religious and spiritual values of different groups is a source of great strength. 13. CREATIVITY: Encourage and allow participants and staff to think and act innovatively, to take risks, and to learn from their experiences and mistakes. 14. COMPASSION: Display an unconditional regard and a caring, non-judgmental attitude toward, participants that recognizes their strengths and empowers them to meet their own needs. 15. HONESTY: Encourage and allow honesty among all people in the system.

Monday, Feb. 22, 2010 | 4 – 6 pm Kauffman Foundation 4801 Rockhill Rd. Kansas City, Mo. 64110

Agenda

I. Welcome and Announcements

II. Approvals a. January minutes (motion)

III. LINC President’s Report

IV. Finance Committee a. Quarterly Financial Report b. Form 990 – IRS nonprofit filing

V. LINC Caring Communities – Progress Report a. Kansas City, Mo. School District

VI. Other Reports

VII. Adjournment

THE LOCAL INVESTMENT COMMISSION – JAN. 11, 2010

The Local Investment Commission met at the Kauffman Foundation, 4801 Rockhill Rd., Kansas City, Mo. Chairman Landon Rowland presided. Commissioners attending were: Bert Berkley Sandy Mayer (for Mike Sanders) Sharon Cheers Mary Kay McPhee Randall Ferguson Richard Morris Herb Freeman Margie Peltier SuEllen Fried David Rock Rob Givens David Ross Bart Hakan Gene Standifer Rosemary Smith Lowe Bailus Tate A motion to approve the Nov. 16, 2009, LINC Commission meeting minutes was passed unanimously. Gayle A. Hobbs gave the LINC President’s Report: • About 150 students received holiday haircuts at Barber & Beauty Day, Dec. 21, at Longan Elementary School. A video clip on the event from KSHB NBC Action News was shown. Roger Beach, president of IBEW Local 124, which along with Capital Electric provided electricity for the event, reported on the success of the effort. • Phyllis Becker has been promoted to Missouri Division of Youth Services deputy director. Swope Health Services president Verneda Robinson introduced a presentation on a future health clinic in south Kansas City. A video of the press conference announcing the clinic was shown. Swope Health Services vice president Jimmy Brown gave an organizational overview of Swope Health Services. Robinson reported on the goals and funding of the south Kansas City health clinic. Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser gave a presentation on his initiative to develop stronger relationships between city government and the school districts within Kansas City. Funkhouser will formally announce the initiative on Jan. 31 at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church. Independence School District superintendent Jim Hinson gave a presentation on 12 Blocks West, an effort involving the school district, the city, and other groups in revitalizing neighborhoods in western Independence. Richard Green introduced a presentation on Teach for America, a national program that recruits recent college graduates into teaching. Teach for America Kansas City director Alicia Herald gave a presentation on Teach for America’s philosophy and the organization’s efforts to improve education at area schools with high numbers of students on free and reduced lunch. Discussion followed. David Ross requested a discussion of opportunities for federal stimulus funding be scheduled for a future meeting. The meeting was adjourned.

2 Commissioner Report February 2010 Kansas City mayor shares broad vision of new partnership between the city and schools Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser shared a broad vision of a stronger, more intentional partnership between city government and school neighborhoods throughout the city. Funkhouser, an ex-officio LINC Commissioner, outlined his ideas during the Jan. 11 LINC Com- mission meeting. He discussed more details of his Mayor to discuss his ideas initiative, which he is calling Schools First, in a with the community Jan. 31 speech at All Souls Unitarian Universal- On Tuesday, Feb. 9, 7-8 p.m., ist Church. Details of the mayor’s proposal are Mayor Funkhouser will host a Tele- Town Hall to discuss his new available at www.kcmo.org/schoolsfirst Schools First initiative with educa- The mayor’s proposal includes making infrastructure improve- tors, parents and students. After a ments around schools, increasing code enforcement, developing brief overview of the proposal, partnerships with school districts and enhancing the public safety Funkhouser will take questions presence around schools. The city includes all or portions of 14 from callers. To participate call toll- school districts, over 270 schools, 318 square miles and a popula- free: 1-888-886-6603 ext. 13998# tion of 475,000. LINC has been a long-time advocate for making schools the center of communities, champion- ing this approach for over 15 years through its Caring Communities initiative, which puts a LINC site coordinator in schools to work with children, families and the neighborhood. LINC operates more than 80 Caring Communities sites, 59 of them located within the city of Kansas City. Numbered by school district, LINC Caring Communities sites are: Kansas City (36); Hickman Mills (8); charters and contract schools (6); North Kansas City (3); Center (2) and Grandview (1). LINC also has three neighborhood center Caring Communities sites in Kansas City, two of which are operated in direct partnership with the city: Palestine Neighbor- hood Development Center (3449 Indiana) and Southeast Caring Communities Neighbor- hood Resource Center (5931 Swope Parkway). LINC has several other partnerships with the city including a new health clinic in south Kansas City which was recently announced. Closer collaboration between city government and schools is also the theme of an Independence initiative. For the 12 Blocks West initiative, the City of Independence and the Independence School District are partner- ing to bring greater focus on schools and neighborhoods in western Inde- pendence. Independence superintendent Jim Hinson described that effort at the same LINC Commission meeting Mayor Funkhouser attended. Learn more at www.kclinc.org/12blockswest

3 Schools first

When it comes to public safety and basic services, the City of Kansas City, Mo., is putting Schools First.

Through the Schools First initiative, the city will focus on a 50 square block area around every school. The initiative includes: • Utilizing $100 million in bonds, with no tax increase, directed to infrastructure improvements around schools, including new and improved sidewalks and crosswalks. • Designating $5 million from the renewal of the Public Safety Sales Tax for providing public safety presence near schools, including uniformed police officers, crossing guards and other high-profile measures designed to increase safety for children. • Prioritizing funding from the City’s basic services budget to improve areas around schools to increase efforts in code enforcement, nuisance abatement, weed abatement, dangerous building removal, snow removal and other basic services. • Developing partnerships with all schools and school districts to apply for grants and other state or federal funding. • Assigning a City representative as an education liaison to coordinate the Schools First initiative and create an energetic and engaged partnership with schools and school districts.

Let’s put Schools First in Kansas City! [email protected] www.kcmo.org/mayor 4

A City Where Kids Can Walk to School (White Paper)

What is it?

“Schools First” is Mayor Mark Funkhouser’s initiative that targets neighborhoods around schools to address community infrastructure needs, blighted conditions, and safety concerns in Kansas City, Mo. By providing a safe and pleasant environment for kids to walk to school, this initiative will also improve the community quality of life as a whole. This initiative ties together and builds on Mayor Funkhouser’s other initiatives, such as,

• Improving public infrastructure, • Improving multi-mode regional public transportation, • Property code enforcement and nuisance abatement, • Supporting Kansas City children to realize their full potentials, • Reducing crime, • Increasing the economic viability of Kansas City, and • Keeping and attracting residents to the city, especially back to the urban core.

Why focus on communities around schools?

There are about 75,000 school-aged children in Kansas City attending more than 270 elementary, middle/junior, and high schools. These public and private schools are much more than a learning institution for these children; they are centers of life and learning for our communities and have long served as neighborhood anchors. School buildings and their surrounding infrastructure represent community investments that inspire civic pride and participation in public life. They are viewed as cornerstones of our neighborhoods and provide a sense of stability as they remain stable while businesses or residents may come and go. They connect families with the broader community and are part of the glue that holds communities together.

It is a sign of a mentally-healthy and safe community when children can walk to and from school by themselves. While schools and their surrounding environment play important roles in our community life, many of our kids are not able to walk to school anymore for reasons such as safety concerns and poor infrastructure conditions. This initiative is to create and sustain a safe and well-maintained community throughout the city, starting with the areas around schools.

What are the benefits?

This initiative responds to an area of need identified by schools, parents and neighborhoods. It will invest in our community and build on the assets our urban community already has. Synergizing with the Mayor’s other initiatives and community efforts, it will increase neighborhood safety and walkability. It will provide support to schools, children and families with a safe environment. It will help sustain our

5 neighborhoods , build effective links between schools, communities and the city government, and ultimately, revitalize Kansas City.

The initiative will make our community a place where walking is safe and enjoyable. The Kansas City metro area was recently ranked the 20th most dangerous place for pedestrians nationwide and the most dangerous in Missouri and Kansas, according to a study by the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership and Transportation for America. Besides the distance to school, safety has been one of the primary reasons that parents do not want their kids to walk to and from school. They worry about their children walking in streets where there are no sidewalks or crossing a busy street with no crossing guard or traffic signs. They also worry about the dangers of abandoned houses, vacant lots, excessive weeds, illegal dumping, and graffiti.

The initiative, therefore, will invest in infrastructure to make walking safe and enjoyable, building or repairing sidewalks, crosswalks, crossing signals and other traffic signs and signals, and street lighting. It will increase police presence during school hours and increase other safety measures, including enforcing traffic laws, placing crossing guards where needed, and removing stray dogs. It will also remove blighted conditions by demolishing dangerous buildings, removing graffiti, enforcing nuisance and property codes, cutting excessive weeds and tree branches, and removing illegal dumping and trash.

The initiative will increase the livability and economic vitality of our community. A safe, well- maintained and walkable community enhances housing values, increases business activities, and gives a good reason for people to stay or move here. Kansas City’s urban core has lost nearly 100,000 residents over the last four decades. The loss of residents has depleted the city’s tax base, damaged thriving middle class neighborhoods, and resulted in urban decline. Although several issues and events have been catalysts for the urban flight, among the most fundamental challenges to a rejuvenated urban core are crime and disinvestment in public infrastructure. Families, as well as businesses, will find a powerful incentive to stay or return to Kansas City when the quality, and perception, of these issues improves.

National studies show that houses with above average walkablility command a premium of about $4,000 to $34,000 over houses with just average levels of walkability in typical metro areas. Similarly, an analysis of office, retail, apartment and industrial properties found higher values for more pedestrian friendly properties. Therefore, making our community more walkable will not only improve its safety and encourage physical activity, but also help restore the local tax base and boost the local economy. The initiative will increase the livability of our community in a holistic way.

The initiative is long-range and will sustain. School buildings and the infrastructure surrounding the schools are valuable assets in our community. Many of our neighborhood schools were designed and built for access by foot, instead of by cars and buses. This initiative, building on these urban assets, is to repair, upgrade and revitalize the existing infrastructure and facilities. It will also invest in new infrastructure, such as sidewalks, around suburban schools where pedestrian infrastructure is absent. These infrastructures, if well-maintained, will sustain and serve our community for generations. They will provide a sense of stability and play an important role in linking schools, families, our community and the city government together. This initiative will improve the quality of life of our community in the long term.

The initiative will increase the physical well-being of our community. Walking, the most basic and common mode of transportation, has been engineered out of our lives for decades. Many of our streets are designed to be convenient for cars, not for pedestrians and bicyclists. Our kids have been deprived of the joy and independence of walking to school and in their neighborhoods. More than half of children who attended schools in the U.S. walked to school in the 1970s, but now about three out of four arrive at

6 school by car or bus. The replacement of walking by automobile travel has been linked to lack of physical activities, the epidemic of obesity, and other health problems.

This initiative will return the activities and laughter of school children to our streetscape. It will also allow joggers to jog and bikers to bike in safe, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods. It will reduce traffic deaths and injuries, increase residents’ physical activities, and reduce transportation expenses. It will also increase the mobility of our children, the elderly, people with disabilities and people without cars. It will improve community well being and protect our environment.

What other programs or community efforts can this initiative leverage on?

We need to identify other related community initiatives and efforts on which the initiative can build.

The Kansas City Walkability Plan. The plan was adopted by the Council in 2003, which made a commitment to improve conditions for pedestrians, both children and adults. An important objective of the plan is to provide a better pedestrian environment to enable children to walk to schools in the city. The plan provides recommendations to improve pedestrian safety, predict pedestrian demand areas, provide a systematic way to measure the quality of Kansas City’s pedestrian system, provide recommendations for good pedestrian infrastructure design, promote education and enforcement, and identify capital improvement investment strategies.

Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED). It is a concept promoting principles of community design and maintenance for inducing safe environments. The concept is supported by Greater Kansas City Crime Commission and police organizations. The Greater Kansas City Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) recently paid for three KCPD officers to attend the CPTED training, and these officers will offer classes to community about how proper design and effective use of the built environment can lead to a reduction in the fear of crime and incidence of crime, and to an improvement in quality of life.

The Walking School Bus Program. Initiated through Bridging the Gap, the program organizes parents to ensure the safe travel of children to school. It encourages a group of children walking to school with one or more adults. A variation on the walking school bus is the bicycle train, in which adults supervise children riding their bikes to school.

Safe Routes to School. The program sponsored by U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is recognized as a model to enable community leaders, schools and parents across the United States to improve safety and increase the number of children to walk and bicycle to school.

Kids Walk to School. Sponsored by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is a community based program to increase opportunities for daily physical activity by encouraging children to walk to and from school in groups accompanied by adults.

Who could be the partners?

We need to identify partners in the community, attract them, and work with them in a coordinated and strategic way. The sponsors of the above programs should be partners of this initiative. Other local partners include:

• Schools (teachers, administrators, school boards) • Parents, including parent teacher associations (PTAs) and school advisory councils (SACs)

7 • Students (e.g. student councils) • Public/elected officials, including council members, county legislators, state representatives, etc. • Neighborhood associations, including home owners associations and tenants associations • Community development councils (CDCs) • Police • City departments (e.g. Health, Public Works, Parks and Recreation, City Planning and Development, Neighborhood and Community Services) • Transportation agencies • Health organizations and coalitions (e.g. KC Healthy Kids) • Environment advocate agencies (e.g. Bridging The Gap) • Regional organizations (e.g. Mid-America Regional Council) • Businesses, including business association and chambers • Civic organizations • Churches, other faith based organizations and denominational leaders • Foundation and philanthropic leaders (e.g. Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City) • Youth and Educational Advocacy Organizations

How about the funding?

We need to identify funding sources, secure and maximize the impact of federal, city and private funding streams that are aimed at issues related to this initiative. We need to identify and address different needs in different parts of the city. Schools, including their PTAs, should be engaged in identifying needs or barriers to walking to school. A citizen committee could evaluate the funding proposals based on criteria including needs, proposal merits, and community impacts.

Federal Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA- LU). There is considerable interest in Washington, D.C., especially with Rep. Oberstar, House Transportation Chairman, to continue the Safe Routes to School program. The funds from prior years’ programs have been expended, but the city could position itself to be highly competitive in a future program.

Federal Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality and the Transportation Enhancements program. The city annually competes for funding through these two programs that can support pedestrian projects.

Federal Safe Routes to School Program (SRTS). The FHWA program makes funding available for a wide variety of programs and projects, from building sidewalks, to safer street crossings, education programs that encourage children and their parents to walk and bicycle safely to school. It distributed more than $600 million over five years to each state by federal formula for thousands of projects nationwide.

Active Living Grant program. The Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City has an Active Living Grant program and has expressed interest in funding programs to evaluate children’s health factors in the city’s development review process.

Prioritizing city spending. The council should have a policy to prioritize city departments’ resources that emphasize compatible projects – Bicycle/Pedestrian Program (Public Works), Trails (Parks and Recreation), long range planning (City Development and Planning), street cleaning and catch basin cleaning (Water Services), codes enforcement (Neighborhood and Community Services), police presence (Police), etc.

PIAC funding. A council policy could ask PIAC to dedicate a portion of its funds to this initiative or to set some policies that would increase the priority given to types of investment related to this initiative.

Public Safety Tax. A portion of this tax could be used to increase the presence of safety personnel around schools. This tax will expire on June 30, 2011. Voters need to approve its usage at the renewal.

Bonds. Bonds could be issued for building, repairing and upgrading sidewalks with a half mile radius around public and private elementary, middle/junior and high schools. The approximate cost is about $100m, which is about $8m debt payment for 20 years.

What other things should be done?

The city needs to review its development code to ensure that decisions on future school sites and school site design support opportunities for children to walk to school safely.

The city could also consider implementing a Health Impact Assessment program in the city’s development review process to include health department personnel in the review of development applications to consider children’s health factors.

9 City-wide Schools Schools first

R. J. Delano Alternative School Center for Educational Development Faxon Montessori School (Alfred L.) Renner Elementary School Center Middle School Fleetridge Elementary School (George Melcher) Elementary Center Senior High School Foreign Language Academy Magnet School Central Academy - Kansas City Fox Hill Elementary School (George Washington) Carver Central Senior High School Freda Markley Early Childhood Elementary School Chapel Hill Elementary Center (John T.) Hartman Montessori Children’s Center for the Visually Frontier School of Innovation (Phillis) Wheatley Elementary School Impaired Garfield Elementary School (Primitivo) Garcia Elementary School Children’s Therapeutic Learning Gashland Elementary School (Thomas B.) Chinn Elementary School Center (TLC) Genesis School Inc. (Wendell Phillips) Elementary Chouteau Elementary School George B Longan French Magnet Magnet School Christ the King School School 21st Century Alternative High School Clardy Elementary School Gillis Center School Academie Lafayette Clay-Platte Montessori School Gladstone Elementary School Academy Montessori Internationale CODE Program (Center Of Glad-Tidings Christian Academy Academy of Kansas City Differentiated Education) Global Montessori Academy Afrikan Centered Education (ACE) Congress Middle School Golden Oaks Education Center Collegium Campus Covenant Memorial Baptist Day Gordon Parks Elementary School Allen Village Charter School School Gracemor Elementary School Alpha Montessori School CR Anderson Alternative High School Hale Cook Elementary School Alta Vista Charter School at Fairview Hawthorn Elementary School Alternative Resource Center Crestview Elementary School - Hickman Mills Senior High School Antioch Middle School Kansas City High School Preparation School Archbishop O’Hara High School Cristo Rey Kansas City Hogan Preparatory Academy Askew Elementary School Crittenton Center Holliday Montessori School Attucks Elementary School Cs One Mimintary School Holy Cross Lutheran School B W Sheperd State School Dale M Thompson/Trails West State Holy Cross School - Kansas City B. Bannekar Elementary School School Hope Academy Bannister Christian Academy Davidson Elementary School Horace Peterson III Middle School Baptiste Educational Center Day Treatment Imagine Renaissance Academy- Barry School De La Salle Education Center Kensington Campus Bell Prairie Elementary DeLaSalle Detention School Imagine Renaissance Academy- Belmont Schools, Inc. Della Lamb Elementary School Wallace Campus Belmont Schools, Inc. Derrick Thomas Elementary Academy Indian Creek Elementary School - Belmont Schools, Inc. Derrick Thomas Jr. Academy Kansas City Benjamin Banneker Charter Academy Dobbs Elementary School Ingels Elementary School Blue Ridge Christian School Don Bosco Education Center Islamic School of Greater Kansas City Boone Elementary School Douglass Early Childhood Center J.S. Chick Elementary School Border Star Montessori E. F. Swinney/Volker Elementary James Elementary School Briarcliff Elementary School School Johnson Elementary School Brookside Charter School Eagle Heights Christian School Kansas City Academy Brookside Day School Early Childhood Center Preschool Kansas City Job Corps Alternative Brookside Frontier Math & Science Early Childhood Education Center School Bryant Elementary School (closed) East Elementary at J.A. Rogers Kansas City Middle School of the Arts Burke Elementary School Eastgate Middle School Kellybrook Elementary C.A. Franklin Elementary School Eastwood Hills Elementary School KIPP Endeavor Academy Calvary Lutheran School Elementary II - Montessori School Lakeview Middle School Carver Christian Academy English Landing Elementary School Lakewood Elementary School - Center Alternative High School Ervin Junior High School Kansas City Center Elementary School Faith Academy Lavonna Peterson Early Childhood

10 City-wide Schools (continued) Schools first

Lee A Tolbert Community Academy- Our Lady of the Angels St. Elizabeth School Elementary Ozanam School St. Gabriel Catholic School Lee A. Tolbert Preparatory Academy Park Hill Day School St. Monica Catholic School Liberty Oaks Elementary Park Hill Early Childhood Education St. Patrick School Life Christian Academy Center St. Peters School Lincoln College Preparation School Park Hill High School St. Stephens Academy School Linden West Elementary Park Hill South High School St. Teresa’s Academy High School Line Creek Elementary School Paseo Academy of Performing Arts St. Therese School Little Blue Elementary Pathfinder Elementary Staley High School Longfellow Elementary Magnet Pathway Academy Summit Pointe Elementary School Pershing Early Childhood Symington Elementary School Lutheran High School Pinkerton Elementary School Teenage Parents Center M.L. King Elementary School Pitcher Elementary School The Barstow School Manual Career & Technical Center Plaza Middle School The Godfrey S. Kobets High School Maple Park Middle School Plaza Preschool The Pembroke Hill School Maple Valley State School Pleasant Valley Early Childhood The Plaza Academy Maplewood Elementary School Prairie Point Elementary School This Christian School Martin City Elementary School Ravenwood Elementary School Topping Elementary School Martin Luther Academy Raytown Middle School Trailwoods Environmental Mary Harmon Weeks Elementary Red Bridge Elementary School Elementary School School Richardson Elementary School - Transition Center McCoy Elementary School Kansas City Troost Elementary School Meadowbrook Elementary Robinson Elementary School Truman Elementary School Mercy Hospital Elementary School Rockhurst High School Union Chapel Elementary Meservey ACE Middle School (closed) Ruskin High School Union Hill Day School Milton Moore Elementary School Saint Mark Child and Family Universal Academy Islamic School Montessori Academy- Kansas City Development (UAIS) Nashua Elementary School Sanford B Ladd Elementary School Universal Foundation School New Mark Middle School Santa Fe Elementary School University Academy- Lower School Niles Home for Children Satchel Paige Elementary School University Academy- Middle School Norfleet Elementary School Scarritt Elementary School University Academy- Upper School North Kansas City High School Scuola Vita Nuova Urban Community Leadership Northeast High Seton Center High School Academy Northeast Middle School Sherwood Center Exceptional Child Van Horn High School at East Northgate Middle School Shoal Creek Elementary School Visitation School Northland Christian High Schools Smith-Hale Junior High School Warford Elementary School Northview Elementary School - Southeast Elementary School West Englewood Elementary School Kansas City Southeast High School West Rock Creek Elementary School Northwest Regional Youth Center Southeast K-8 Zoo Academy Westport High Northwood School Southwest Early College Campus Westport Middle School (Closed) Notre Dame De Sion Elementary Spofford Treatment Center Westridge Elementary School School St Francis Xavier School Whittier Elementary School - Kansas Notre Dame De Sion High School St John Francis Regis School City Nova Center St Paul’s Episcopal Day School William A Knotts Elementary School Oak Park High School St Pius X High School Winnetonka High School Oakwood Manor Elementary St Regis Early Childhood Winnwood Elementary School Our Lady of Angels School St Thomas More School Woodland Elementary School - Our Lady of Guadalupe School St. Andrew the Apostle School Kansas City Our Lady of Lourdes School St. Bernadette Elementary School Our Lady of Peace School St. Charles Borromeo School 11

Initial Supporters List

City Council Members Community Leaders

Ed Ford, 2nd District At Large Landon Rowland, Chairman, LINC

John Sharp, 6th District, In District Ajamu Webster

Beth Gottstein, 4th District, At Large John Dillingham

Gayle Hobbs, LINC

Civic Leaders Betsy Vandervelde

Karl Zobrist, Kansas City Police Board Bert Berkley

James Corwin, Police Chief Mike Chesser

Dr. John Covington, Superintendent, KCMSD Karen Pletz

Dr. Dennis Fisher, Superintendent, Park Hill SD Organizations

Local Investment Commission (LINC)

Catholic Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph

These persons and organizations have committed to support the concept around Mayor Funkhouser’s Schools First initiative. Their support for Schools First does not specifically imply support for any future ballot initiatives regarding this initiative.

12 Population Change by Census Tracts 1970-1980

THTH THTH PLATTEPLATTE CITYCITY EXCELEXCELSS

MOSBYMOSBY FERRELVIEWFERRELVIEW

FARLEYFARLEY

GG GG LIBERTYLIBERTY MISSOURIMISSOURI CITYCITY LAKELAKE WAUKOMISWAUKOMIS LIBERTYLIBERTY MISSOURIMISSOURI CITYCITY GLENAIREGLENAIRE PARKVILLEPARKVILLE GLADSTONEGLADSTONE HOUSTONHOUSTON LAKELAKE CLAYCOMOCLAYCOMO RIVERRIVER BENDBEND RIVERSIDERIVERSIDE RIVERSIDERIVERSIDE BIRMINGHAMBIRMINGHAM AVONDALEAVONDALE

SUGARSUGAR CREEKCREEK NORTHNORTH KANSASKANSAS CITYCITY SUGARSUGAR CREEKCREEK KANSASKANSAS CITY,CITY, KSKS KANSASKANSAS CITY,CITY, KSKS KANSASKANSAS CITY,CITY, MOMO

SPRINGSSPRINGS INDEPENDENCEINDEPENDENCEINDEPENDENCE

LAKELAKE QUIVIRAQUIVIRA WESTWOODWESTWOOD FAIRWAYFAIRWAY LAKELAKE TAPAWINGOTAPAWINGO SHAWNEESHAWNEE MERRIAMMERRIAM LAKELAKE TAPAWINGOTAPAWINGO BLUEBLUE SPRINSPRING RAYTOWNRAYTOWN PRAIRIEPRAIRIE VILLAGEVILLAGE

LENEXALENEXA UNITYUNITY VILLAGEVILLAGE

LEE'SLEE'S SUMMITSUMMIT LEAWOODLEAWOOD

LAKELAKE LOTALOTAWW

PopulationOLATHEOLATHE Change GRANDVIEWGRANDVIEW by Tract GRANDVIEWGRANDVIEW

5,000 GREENWOODGREENWOOD 2,500 VILLAGEVILLAGE OFOF LOCHLOCH LLOYDLLOYD 500 -500 -2,500

-5,000

13 Source: US. Census Bureau Population Change by Census Tracts 1980-1990

THTH THTH PLATTEPLATTE CITYCITY EXCELEXCELSS

MOSBYMOSBY FERRELVIEWFERRELVIEW

FARLEYFARLEY

SUGARSUGAR CREEKCREEK NORTHNORTH KANSASKANSAS CITYCITY SUGARSUGAR CREEKCREEK KANSASKANSAS CITY,CITY, KSKS KANSASKANSAS CITY,CITY, KSKS KANSASKANSAS CITY,CITY, MOMO

SPRINGSSPRINGS INDEPENDENCEINDEPENDENCEINDEPENDENCE

LENEXALENEXA UNITYUNITY VILLAGEVILLAGE

LEE'SLEE'S SUMMITSUMMIT LEAWOODLEAWOOD

LAKELAKE LOTALOTAWW

PopulationOLATHEOLATHE Change GRANDVIEWGRANDVIEW by Tract GRANDVIEWGRANDVIEW

5,000 GREENWOODGREENWOOD 2,500 VILLAGEVILLAGE OFOF LOCHLOCH LLOYDLLOYD 500 -500 -2,500

-5,000

14 Source: US. Census Bureau Population Change by Census Tracts 1990-2000

THTH THTH PLATTEPLATTE CITYCITY EXCELEXCELSS

MOSBYMOSBY FERRELVIEWFERRELVIEW

FARLEYFARLEY

SUGARSUGAR CREEKCREEK NORTHNORTH KANSASKANSAS CITYCITY SUGARSUGAR CREEKCREEK KANSASKANSAS CITY,CITY, KSKS KANSASKANSAS CITY,CITY, KSKS KANSASKANSAS CITY,CITY, MOMO

SPRINGSSPRINGS INDEPENDENCEINDEPENDENCEINDEPENDENCE

LENEXALENEXA UNITYUNITY VILLAGEVILLAGE

LEE'SLEE'S SUMMITSUMMIT LEAWOODLEAWOOD

LAKELAKE LOTALOTAWW

PopulationOLATHEOLATHE Change GRANDVIEWGRANDVIEW by Tract GRANDVIEWGRANDVIEW

5,000 GREENWOODGREENWOOD 2,500 VILLAGEVILLAGE OFOF LOCHLOCH LLOYDLLOYD 500 -500 -2,500

-5,000

15 Source: US. Census Bureau Population Change by Census Tracts 2000-2007

THTH THTH PLATTEPLATTE CITYCITY EXCELEXCELSS

MOSBYMOSBY FERRELVIEWFERRELVIEW

FARLEYFARLEY

SUGARSUGAR CREEKCREEK NORTHNORTH KANSASKANSAS CITYCITY SUGARSUGAR CREEKCREEK KANSASKANSAS CITY,CITY, KSKS KANSASKANSAS CITY,CITY, KSKS KANSASKANSAS CITY,CITY, MOMO

SPRINGSSPRINGS INDEPENDENCEINDEPENDENCEINDEPENDENCE

LENEXALENEXA UNITYUNITY VILLAGEVILLAGE

LEE'SLEE'S SUMMITSUMMIT LEAWOODLEAWOOD

LAKELAKE LOTALOTAWW

PopulationOLATHEOLATHE Change GRANDVIEWGRANDVIEW by Tract GRANDVIEWGRANDVIEW

5,000 GREENWOODGREENWOOD 2,500 VILLAGEVILLAGE OFOF LOCHLOCH LLOYDLLOYD 500 -500 -2,500

-5,000

16 Source: US. Census Bureau, Claritas METROPOLITAN OPPORTUNITY SERIES The Suburbanization of Poverty: Trends in Metropolitan America, 2000 to 2008

Elizabeth Kneebone and Emily Garr

Findings An analysis of the location of poverty in America, particularly in the nation’s 95 largest metro areas in 2000, 2007, and 2008 reveals that: Suburbs saw by n By 2008, suburbs were home to the largest and fastest-growing poor population in the country. Between 2000 and 2008, suburbs in the country’s largest metro areas saw their poor far the greatest population grow by 25 percent—almost five times faster than primary cities and well ahead of the growth seen in smaller metro areas and non-metropolitan communities. As a result, by growth in their 2008 large suburbs were home to 1.5 million more poor than their primary cities and housed almost one-third of the nation’s poor overall. poor population n Midwestern cities and suburbs experienced by far the largest poverty rate increases over and by 2008 had the decade. Led by increasing poverty in auto manufacturing metro areas—like Grand Rapids and Youngstown—Midwestern city and suburban poverty rates climbed 3.0 and 2.2 percentage become home points, respectively. At the same time, Northeastern metros—led by New York and Worcester— actually saw poverty rates in their primary cities decline, while collectively their suburbs to the largest experienced a slight increase. n In 2008, 91.6 million people—more than 30 percent of the nation’s population—fell below share of the 200 percent of the federal poverty level. More individuals lived in families with incomes between 100 and 200 percent of poverty line (52.5 million) than below the poverty line (39.1 nation’s poor. million) in 2008. Between 2000 and 2008, large suburbs saw the fastest growing low-income populations across community types and the greatest uptick in the share of the population living under 200 percent of poverty. n Western cities and Florida suburbs were among the first to see the effects of the “Great Recession” translate into significant increases in poverty between 2007 and 2008. Sun Belt metro areas hit hardest by the collapse of the housing market saw significant gains in poverty between 2007 and 2008, with suburban increases clustered in Florida metro areas—like Miami, Tampa, and Palm Bay—and city poverty increases most prevalent in Western metro areas— like Los Angeles, Riverside, and Phoenix. Based on increases in unemployment over the past year, Sun Belt metro areas are also likely to experience the largest increases in poverty in 2009. Over the course of this decade, two economic downturns translated into a significant rise in poverty, nationally and in many of the country’s metropolitan and non-metropolitan communities. Suburbs saw by far the greatest growth in their poor population and by 2008 had become home to the largest share of the nation’s poor. These trends are likely to continue in the wake of the latest downturn, given its toll on traditionally more suburbanized industries and the faster pace of growth in suburban unemployment. This ongoing shift in the geography of American poverty increasingly requires regional scale collaboration by policymakers and social service providers in order to effectively address the needs of a poor population that is increasingly suburban.

BROOKINGS | January 2010 1 17

Posted on Sat, Feb. 13, 2010 10:15 PM Reorganization of KC School District would involve closing half of buildings By JOE ROBERTSON The Kansas City Star

Kansas City Superintendent John Covington this afternoon unveiled his sweeping plan to close half of the district’s schools, redistribute grade levels and sell the downtown central office. Covington presented his proposal to the school board in advance of a series of forums next week where the community will get to weigh in on what would be the largest swath of closures in district history, as well as a major reorganization. “Folks, it’s going to hurt,” Covington told an overflow audience. “It’s going to be painful, but if we work together, we’re going to get through it.” Covington wants to be able to complete the public debate and present a final plan for a vote by the board at its Feb. 24 meeting. The board and the community have a lot to digest over the next 10 days. The proposal calls for: •28 to 30 of the district’s 60 schools would close, including Westport High and Central Middle. •Some programs would be kept intact but move to new locations or consolidate, such as the Lincoln College Preparatory campus and the African-centered education campus. •The district’s secondary schools would serve grades 7 through 12, creating a combination of middle school and high school grades that is already used at Southwest Early College Campus and the African- centered program. •Several elementary schools would serve pre-kindergarten through second grades, and companion elementary schools would serve grades 3 through 6. All early childhood programs would be provided in elementary schools and the early childhood centers would close. •The district would renew efforts to sell its administration building, which is less than half used. The city has previously offered to buy the property at 1211 McGee St., next to the Sprint Center. The proposal was mostly well received by board members, who generally praised the administration for its research — but they also raised several questions and concerns. The closings would stretch district wide, and hit as hard as anywhere in the district’s central core that is under the most economic stress. “How do we help the 3rd City Council district rebuild?” board President Marilyn Simmons said. “Families don’t buy houses where schools closed.” The district considered the impact on neighborhoods, Covington said. Every part of the district had to lose schools.

18 “We tried to make sure that no zone within our service area would be adversely affected,” he said. “We’re asking all communities in the district to bear the burden.” The new wave of potential closings was a long time coming. The district has closed more than 40 schools over the past 40 years, but the closings haven’t kept pace with the long-running decline in enrollment from a peak of 75,000 students in the late 1960s to 17,000 today. The district also built several schools during the desegregation era. The district’s school buildings overall are being used at about half their capacity, said Chief Operating Officer Roosevelt Brown. “There are all the costs for custodial service, heat and maintenance around that, which we could take and target to the educational needs of students,” he said. The district projects it needs to cut $40 million to $50 million from the 2010-2011 budget that is on track right now to place the district $8 million in the red. The proposed closings could save the district $50 million in staff reductions and maintenance costs, said Chief Financial Officer Rebecca Lee-Gwin. The district has spent some four months getting this far, through a process that included an early round of community forums, consultation with a task force of community members and district staff, and the assessment and ranking of all buildings on a number of factors. The administration didn’t start with a targeted number of closings, but tried to determine how many schools different parts of the district could support, said Mary Esselman, the executive director of assessment and professional development. They looked at census data by age groups, birth rates and population projections. They weighed economic analyses and forecasts from the city. They took school clusters and put the buildings through a long list of comparisons. They ranked academic performance, noting any levels of sanctions with schools not making adequate yearly progress under the No Child Left Behind Act. The age, durability, costs and efficiency of each school were ranked, building on a $1 million facility study the district had commissioned in 2006. “It is data-driven,” Esselman said. “It wasn’t about an agenda.” Then the planning team went down a checklist with schools that ranked low on the comparisons: •Did students in a low-ranking school have a nearby option? •Did nearby schools have room to add students? •Could a successful school or program in an inefficient building transfer to better building? •And if students were to move to a school that had a poorer academic record, could the district ensure support to improve that school’s performance? The district knows a closed school is a hardship for a community, Brown said. The district will work with the neighborhoods and the city to plan new uses for the schools that get closed, he said. “We want to help,” Brown said. “We have to be fiscally responsible to the district.” The plan to go to grade 7-12 secondary schools would mean a major reconfiguration just as the district has finished a transition to mostly K-8 elementary schools. The district had spent three years phasing in K-8s by adding one grade at a time – to mixed results.

19 The district’s strongest gains in state test scores have occurred in the middle grades and discipline incidents had declined through the 2008-2009 school year, state records showed. But concerns persisted that children in lower grades were being overexposed to adolescent behaviors and incidents. Now the debate will shift, as middle grades would be placed with high school grades. As with most of the K-8 schools, the different age groups would be separated in the buildings. The new format is already being used in two of the district’s most popular magnet programs, Southwest and the African-centered education campus.

Covington’s plan •These schools would close: Askew, Central Middle, Carver, James, Knotts, Ladd, Moore, Pinkerton, Southeast at Manual, West Rock Creek, Wheatley, Whittier, Westport High, Westport Middle, Woodland. •These schools would close, but their programs would move: ACE K-5, ACE 6th Grade Center, Douglas, Fairview, Franklin, Lincoln Middle, Longan, Manual East, McCoy, Richardson, Scarritt, Swinney and the Teenage Parent Center. •Potential closures: Northeast High or Kansas City Middle School of the Arts may close, depending on programming decisions. KCMSA’s program would move into Paseo Academy. •The district’s headquarters building at 1211 McGee St. would be sold. Also closing would be district offices at 21st Street and Charlotte Ave.

Forum schedule The district will take its recommendations to the community next week in a series of forums. The district has divided the school system into four sections and scheduled a forum specific to each. Here are the four forums and the names of the schools within each section. All forums will begin at 6:30 p.m. •Tuesday, at Northeast Elementary School, 4904 Independence Ave. Service area includes Askew, East, Fairview, Garfield, Gladstone, James, McCoy, Northeast, Pitcher, Rogers, Scarritt, Trailwoods, West Rock Creek, Whittier and Woodland schools. •Wednesday, at King Elementary School, 4201-A Indiana Ave. Service area includes Carver, Central, Delano, Faxon, Franklin, King, Ladd, Melcher, Moore, Richardson, Teenage Parent Center and Weeks schools. •Thursday, at Paseo Academy, 4747 Flora Ave. Service area includes the African-centered education campus, Banneker, Holliday, Kansas City Middle School of the Arts, Knotts, Paige, Paseo, Pinkerton and Troost schools. •Friday, at Foreign Language Academy, 3450 Warwick Blvd. Service area includes Attucks, Border Star, Douglas, Foreign Language Academy, Garcia, Hartman, Lincoln, Longan, Longfellow, Manual, Phillips, Southwest, Swinney, Westport and Wheatley schools. To reach Joe Robertson, call 816-234-4789 or send e-mail to [email protected].

Chess players pack room to meet their match By Kelly Evenson - [email protected] The Examiner Posted Feb 16, 2010 @ 12:44 AM Last update Feb 16, 2010 @ 12:46 AM Independence, MO — Jeremy Heintzman stared intently at his chess board, trying to decide the best move to make. A sophomore at Van Horn High School, Heintzman has been playing chess since he was a second grader at Mount Washington Elementary School. He continues to play for one reason - it is fun. “I think chess is an entertaining game, and I have met so many new people,” he said. “I think I was really hooked after my first tournament. I have been playing ever since.” More than 75 students K-12 from Independence and Kansas City converged at the Kansas City Trails West Library in Independence Saturday to play in a chess tournament, sponsored by LINC. Ken Lingelbach, a Caring Communities Coordinator at Blue Hills Elementary School in the Fort Osage district, said he continues to be surprised at the level of interest in chess among children. “When I first started getting involved with this nine years ago, I never knew how much there was out there in terms of competition,” he said. “What we are trying to do here is to get more in the Independence community to focus on the benefits of chess.” Those benefits include increased critical thinking and problem-solving skills as well as social development, Lingelbach said. Most area schools include chess as a before- or after-school activity. The first LINC-sponsored tournament in Independence, interest was so high that many of those who did not pre-register were put on a waiting list or turned away because there was not enough room in the library‘s meeting room. “This is a strategy-based game,” Lingelbach said. “It forces kids to think before they make a move and makes them think logically about what move is best for them.” Cole Ford, a third grader at Blue Hills Elementary, said chess is something he has started playing at home with his dad. He said when he is bored, it is fun to just sit down at the chess board and start a game. “I really like playing chess because it is a lot of fun,” he said. “I have really learned a lot, and I like playing with my dad the best.” Rudy Summerville, the Caring Communities site coordinator at William Chrisman High School, said he was pleasantly surprised at the number of students at the tournament. He said he believes participation would be even higher at William Chrisman if chess did not compete with other activities, specifically robotics. “We love it at William Chrisman, but it is a challenge getting more students involved because robotics is a big conflict,” he said. “I really think this activity is a benefit to our students because it develops their critical thinking skills. Kids slow down and make better decisions because they are taking the time to think before they act.” Heintzman said one of the most important thing he has learned is patience. That ability recently came into play when he took the ACT exam. “If you can sit for four hours at a chess tournament playing a game, then sitting for the ACT is nothing,” he said. “It is just a great game and something fun to do. It is a skill that I will definitely take with me.”

21 e single biggest way to impact an organization is to FOCUSON Leadership Development.

— J.C. Maxwell

Martin Blank President, Institute for Educational Leadership Wed., Mar. 17 Plaza Branch: Lower Level 6:00 p.m. Reception 4801 Main St. 6:30 p.m. Program Kansas City, MO 64112

Findings from a study of the Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) will be presented.

Blank will explore preparing cross-boundary educational leaders and how to prepare schools leaders — administrators, principals and teachers — to help children succeed.

e public is invited. Refreshments will be available.

Support provided by the Lumina Foundation for Education.